The present invention relates to a machine for processing food products. More particularly, the present invention relates to a machine for moving a food product along a processing line.
Food processing equipment, such as dough processors, are known. Similarly, conventional equipment exists for forming a rolled dough product. Such equipment typically provides a sheet of dough on a conveyor. Filling is applied to the sheet of dough and the dough is rolled with rolling equipment, such as Torpedo rollers. The rolled dough is provided as a continuous rolled dough cylinder, to a cutting apparatus which cuts the rolled dough cylinder to form a plurality of rolled dough pieces, each of which has filling rolled therein. The individual rolled dough pieces are provided to a packaging apparatus which packages the rolled dough pieces in cans or other suitable packages.
Conventional cutting machines have included guillotine-type cutters. This type of cutter has a knife which is moved in a reciprocating manner as the dough cylinder travels beneath the knife. The knife cuts the dough into individual rolled dough pieces which are moved by an outfeed conveyor to the packaging machine.
Some rolled dough products (or other food products) are fairly light weight, and are extremely soft. Therefore, as the cylinder of dough moves along the processing line, it can move about on the conveyor causing difficulty during the cutting operation. In addition, when the cylinder of dough is unsupported, the guillotine-type cutter tends to smash or flatten the dough pieces as they are cut.
Further, in conventional dough processing equipment, the dough is moved continuously as it is cut. This can result in the dough pieces cut from the cylinder being wedge-shaped. In other words, since the dough is moving continuously, the guillotine cutter essentially cuts at an angle across the cylinder of dough resulting in a wedge-shaped piece. This wedge-shaped piece can present problems in packaging.
Also, in conventional dough processing equipment, the guillotine cuts the dough on a flat, substantially horizontal surface. Thus, after the dough is cut into individual pieces, the pieces do not always lay down flat on the outfeed conveyor. This can also cause problems during packaging. If the dough products are not lying flat on the outfeed conveyor, they must be manually repositioned on the conveyor so that they are lying flat. However, since many rolled dough products are extremely soft, it is very difficult to manually handle the dough while still maintaining desired physical integrity.
Others have attempted to solve this problem with declining dough feeders. However, with these machines, the dough was clamped or instantaneously stopped prior to, and during the cutting operation while the conveyor continued to advance. Thus, the dough cylinder slipped against the drive conveyor and resulted in cutting problems and undesirable product characteristics.